The present invention relates to providing thermal protection for composite material parts having an organic matrix.
The field of application of the invention relates more particularly, but not exclusively, to organic matrix composite material parts used in aeroengines such as turboprops.
In aeroengines, most of the parts have until recently been made of metal materials. In order to reduce the weight of such parts, many of them, and in particular those constituting the covering of the engine such as the casing or covers and also the elements supporting those parts, or indeed parts forming portions of the fan assembly of the engine, are nowadays made out of composite material, i.e. the parts are made up of fiber reinforcement densified with an organic matrix, such as a thermosetting or thermoplastic resin, for example.
Nevertheless, exposed surface(s) of such parts may be subjected to temperatures that are higher than those that are acceptable for the composite material from which they are made.
Several solutions are presently used for providing organic matrix composite material parts with thermal protection. Nevertheless, all of those known solutions make use of additional parts or coatings such as thermal blankets or metal screens, thereby giving rise to extra costs in the fabrication of the part. In addition, fastening that type of thermal protection on a composite material part is not easy and requires the use of specific fastener means such as inserts, bolts, or Velcro, for example. Finally, adding thermal protection parts significantly increases the overall weight of the part.
There therefore exists a need to have thermal protection on organic matrix composite material parts and to do without significantly increasing the cost or the overall weight of the part and while enabling the thermal protection to be fastened thereon easily and reliably.